Cuisine of Ironforge
Dwarven food is a surprisingly varied affair, with much emphasis placed on providing nourishing fare for hard labour and cold weather. Ironforge's cuisine has benefitted from cross-cultural influences from humans and Gnomes, and increasingly, other foreign peoples. Common Ingredients Meat and Dairy The Dwarves of Ironforge hold a great love for meat of all forms, but in their homeland of Dun Morogh one animal stands out as the domestic animal of choice for consumption: the sheep. With much of their land covered in snow for long periods of the year and very little of it in the broad, open pasture that larger cattle demand, sheep and goats are preferred for their hardiness, their readily available wool and hair (goat-hair shirts are remarkably popular), and for their fatty and flavourful meat. They are usually prepared by lengthy slow-roasting, often with herbs and sheep's butter, though the youngest sheep are more frequently eaten by pan-frying or grilling the tender parts and boiling the rest. *Cured meats. *Rat. *Bears. *Sausage - smoked, pickled, dried, fresh. *Wolf. *Chicken soup. *Mild cheeses, sometimes with herbs added in. *Offal. *Wild game has a special place in their heart in general. Fish The broad family of fish known as char are a common sight on Dwarven tables. Freshwater fish that thrive in cold waters, they are endemic to Dun Morogh and Loch Modan. Providing both a test of skill to catch and a fine meal with fine medium pink flesh, the char is prepared in many ways for the Dwarven table. It is most frequently baked, steamed, or even deep fried in batter. Their cousins, the trouts, are also a beloved part of the diet and prepared much the same way. *Crayfish. *Frenzy fish. *Crabs in a million ways. *Threshadon and crocolisk, though not technically fish. Fruits, Grains and Vegetables *Leeks. *Oats and oatmeal. *Barley. *Spice bread. *Prunes. *Grapes. *Mint *Lemons. *Mushrooms as rations. Regional Specialties Ironforge *Gnomish influence *Stormwind influence *Cave mushrooms. *Toasters. Yes, those modern contraptions. *Ironforge Surprise crabs. *Cock-a-leekie soup. *Haggis. *Pale ale. *Spice bread. Everyone eats this, apparently. Dun Morogh *Mornbrew *Wild boar and beer bastes. *Gnomish influence *Arctic char. *Crayfish. Loch Modan *Blood sausage, made with bear meat (and blood, one assumes), boar intestine casings, and spider ichor not as a binder, but as a spice! *Crocolisk steak. Wetlands *Crocolisk. *Gumbo. *Cranberries. *Mutton. *Raptor eggs. *Delicious crabs. The cold, misty marshlands of the Wetlands are home to a remarkable cuisine that has developed over the centuries to make the most of a miserable region. With brackish water, little land to grow crops or rear large cattle, and only an abundance of seabirds and fish, the local cuisine has been shaped by these difficult factors and by cultural exchange with the local human settlements and traders. Figuring heavily into the diet is fish and seafood of all sorts. The cold water reefs of Baradin Bay are home to great schools of cod, pike and seabass, and great crabs scuttle along the shores and beneath the waves. Large clams offer up their bounty to divers, and all these creatures have found their way to the stewing pot. Even seaweeds and odder things are eaten, particularly in the region's infamous gumbos (woe to the unwary traveller who pays a single penny for a bowl at a less-than-reputable roadhouse...) or, oddly, in the making of deserts. Recent Developments in Fusion Cuisine (Pandaria) The work of one particular innovator, Dwarven-Pandaren fusion may prove to be an exciting cuisine across the world. *Curried whitefish. *Fried dumplings. *Beer bread. *Wine-infused mushrooms. *Peanut pork dishes. Drinking Culture The stereotypical Dwarf is an irrepresible and shameless drunk, more commonly found three sheets to the wind than in any state even approaching sobriety. While this stereotype is inaccurate, it is true that Dwarves love their drink - and little wonder why, as beer and wine are both sources of energy and of apparent warmth! Beers No drink encapsulates the Dwarven love affair with alcohol like beer, in all its various forms. Among the peoples of the Alliance, it is Dwarven beer that is the most commonly sought after for importation. With a reputation built on excellent Dwarven craftsmanship (as in all things, the Dwarven work ethic prizes the efforts of the artisan brewer) and quality ingredients, even the mass-produced Dwarven beers are appreciated world-wide as excellent drinks. Ales Stouts Lagers Barleybrew Company The Barleybrew Brewing Company is a family-owned and operated brewery in Brewnall Village, dating back several centuries. It has a well-earned reputation for experimenting with new ingredients and recipes, and continues to have a promising future in the coming years. Manufacturing beers across the entire range of flavours, the Company prefers its namesake as a base, and rarely produces beers with significant wheat or oat components. 'Shimmerstout' A recent development, shimmerstout combines the usual profile of a rich, dark stout with the exotic shimmerweed. Like many other experimental Barleybew offerings, it has cultivated a loyal following in niche markets - in this case, among Dwarven sorcerors. Shimmerstout provokes feelings of giddiness and quickens not only the tongue, but also the mind and the body. Providing a feeling of overall happiness and floatiness with only light consumption, shimmestout is likely to become a more common sight among markets world-wide, especially among magi who enjoy the euphoric effects and the low risk of accidental over-intoxication. 'Scalder' A family speciality, Barleybrew Scalder is a strongly malted beer with a high alcohol content. Both flavoursome and intoxicating, Scalder is a flagship beer used to represent the family in competitions and in casual drinking as it is among the family's most conventional and conservative offerings. An entirely barley offering, scalder is usually aged before bottling and then further aged for a longer period than usual before sale. 'Barleybrew Clear' Thunderbrew Company 'Thunder 45' 'Hard Ale' 'Kungaloosh' One of the company's most famous creations, Kungaloosh emerged from the strange tropical jungles of Sholazar basin. Made with oranges, banana and papaya, this fruit-beer is a delicious and nourishing beverage that has eked out a major niche in Dalaran. Wines Despite the common perception to the contrary, the dwarven appreciation for alcohol is not limited to beer. The level of craftsmanship required to make good wine is equal to that of beer, and the variety of outcomes is appealing, tasty, and often more highly alcoholic than beer. Distilled Beverages Whiskey Bourbon White whiskeys and ultra-proof drinks Rationales and Disclaimers *Brewfest food is included here as brewfest maintains a largely Dwarven feel and is, though co-created by a Pandaren, primarily a Dwarven invention. *While no Dwarven vineyards are in-game, a people who believe in fine craftsmanship and artisanship and like booze are going to appreciate wine. *The Pandaren fusion is too fun not to include. *Certain specific companies are included for drinking culture because of their prominent role. Category:Kingdom of Ironforge